Astros Acquire John Rooney From Marlins

The Astros have acquired left-hander John Rooney in a trade with the Marlins, as relayed by Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The Marlins are receiving cash considerations in return. Rome adds that Rooney will join the team today, and that right-hander Luis Contreras was optioned to Triple-A in order to make room for Rooney on the active roster. Houston has a 40-man roster vacancy, so no further corresponding transactions will be necessary.

Rooney, 28, was eligible to be traded even after the deadline on July 31 passed because he has spent the entire year in the minor leagues without being selected to the 40-man roster. MLBTR’s Steve Adams offered a comprehensive look at how clubs can make external additions over the season’s final two months yesterday morning. A third-round pick by the Dodgers back in 2018 who has yet to make his MLB debut, Rooney is a veteran of seven minor league seasons who will now get the opportunity to break into the majors for the first time in his career.

Prior to this season, Rooney had spent his entire career in the Dodgers organization. He reached Triple-A in the latter half of the 2023 season but struggled with the club’s Oklahoma City affiliate in his first full season at the level in 2024 despite some early success there the year prior. Rooney went on to elect minor league free agency and latched on with the Marlins, for whom he’s done quite well at Triple-A Jacksonville this season. In 38 appearances, Rooney has posted a 2.45 ERA while striking out 32.4% of his opponents. Those impressive strikeout numbers are held back by a massive 16.5% walk rate, however, and Rooney’s command will surely need to improve if he hopes to be more than a depth option at the big league level.

Despite that lackluster control, the Astros are clearly enticed by Rooney’s big strikeout numbers if they offered him a spot on their 40-man roster and a shot in the majors. The competition among left-handed relief arms in the Houston bullpen is extremely stiff, however. Closer Josh Hader and second-year setup man Bryan King are both locked into high leverage spots, while Bennett Sousa and Steven Okert are both having excellent seasons in their own right. All four of those southpaws figure to land well ahead of Rooney on the organizational depth chart, but additional relief depth with options remaining is always a worthwhile addition for a contender to consider.

For now, Rooney will take the spot of Contreras on the active roster. Contreras is in his second year in the majors with the Astros, but he’s done little to impress so far with a 7.50 career ERA. With that being said, those poor results have come in just 18 innings of work total, and his 4.12 FIP suggests that there are better days to come. Contreras will head to Triple-A Sugar Land, where he has a 3.34 ERA in 30 appearances this year, and wait for his next opportunity in the majors.